Trash Tutorial: Care should be taken when recycling glass

Q: How can I recycle glass items? I am concerned about trash handlers being cut by the glass.

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By
Sarah Kite
Posted Jun. 28, 2013 @ 12:01 am

Q: How can I recycle glass items? I am concerned about trash handlers being cut by the glass. We have pickup once a week and have a recycling center in the middle of Barrington.

Peter Kanarian

A: There are different types of glass and, depending on its condition and composition, it must be handled differently.

Broken glass of any type should not be placed in your recycling bins. The reason is the potential for harm to the workers on recycling trucks.

Broken container glass placed in large carts is not a problem because people don’t handle the carts — they’re lifted and tipped using an automated arm on the side of the truck. But the type of glass I’m referring to that belongs in recycling bins and carts is the type that is used as the original packaging for food or beverages — container glass. Beer and soda bottles, condiment bottles and jars, wine and liquor bottles are all OK to place in recycling.

Glass items that should not be placed in recycling bins or carts are things such as tempered glass (Pyrex), leaded glass (such as crystal, TVs or computer monitors), window panes or lightbulbs.

Any non-container glass must be handled separately. Broken non-container glass should be placed in a cardboard box, taped and sealed shut, marked “Glass” on the outside, and placed in the trash. Do not place boxes of broken glass in your recycling bin or cart.

Doors or windows that are intact could be broken if left out for trash. Bring these items directly to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) for disposal, or to your local transfer station if one exists in your city or town.

Windows and doors may also have another life in someone else’s do-it-yourself project, so before trashing try listing the items at Freecycle.org or FreexchangeRI.org.

Televisions and computer monitors should never be placed in the recycling, at the curb or in the trash. The leaded glass and the cathode ray tubes make these items hazardous to bury, and are in fact banned from disposal in Rhode Island. Luckily, in Rhode Island, there are convenient, local and free recycling opportunities in nearly every community. Contact your department of public works for local options, or bring the televisions and monitors to RIRRC during our operating hours.